iPhone 6 screen easily scratched?

Well my phone went back. It was a tough decision as the phone is great. I just feel for the price it should be able to handle general use without scratching up so easily. When the phone arrived I removed the protective cover and used it for about 10 minutes. In that time it got pretty marked up with fingerprints so I gently cleaned it with a brand new lint free microfiber cloth. It's then I noticed the scratch.

This. If you ever EVER have a problem, talk to Apple online. While experience in the store can vary, online seems consistent. The geniuses tried to tell me for example, that it's "normal" that my front facing camera and earpiece would intermittently stop working completely. They said they couldn't do anything for me until it was a constant problem, or unless I'd pay some fee. Apple chat saw it differently, and worked with me, ultimately exchanging my phone for one that works.

It never hurts to talk to Apple if there's a serious enough issue that it's bothering you.

Wash that cloth in a washer dryer. There may have been something on it (it only takes one speck of quartz to scratch the screen). I recommend talking to Apple Support about this issue.

I must say when I reported the issue to Apple online they were very helpful, offered me a replacement but understood when I declined.

It was new but yes will do.

OK. Well, at least they did help you. Keep in mind we don't know if this is an actual issue, or just a (set of) bad batch(es). My second phone does have hairlines now, now sure how or when they got there, but they aren't visible when using it and require a strong, direct light shining on it to be visible. So it's not bothering me like the other one.

A few of my friends have various iPhone 6's so I will be monitoring them. If they are all clear a few weeks down the line then hopefully it is just an isolated batch. I'd like to order another but short of stress testing it and trying to scratch it when I buy it new how can I know if it will again develop scratches, but this time outside of the 14 day return period?

Other than creating a stress test, there is really nothing you can do. Scratches can be normal over the long run, but definitely not within the first month.

Aluminum is far softer than glass. I hope they never use "transparent aluminum" for screens.

Yeah, transparent aluminum isn't just aluminum chemically (just like the anodized aluminum used on the iPhone isn't just aluminum chemically; it's aluminum oxide BTW). It's actually a compound called aluminum oxynitride which isn't soft, it's actually harder than regular glass (quartz-based glass generally has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, or about 800 on the Knoop scale). This compound has a hardness of around 1800 on the Knoop scale, or about a high eight or nine on the Mohs scale.

The stuff is expensive costing about 10-15 dollars per square centimeter. The iPhone 6' screen is about 90 cm^2 so it'd cost approximately 900-1350 dollars for that... Um... No thanks 😝

Data about aluminum oxynitride:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_oxynitride

I had scratches on my iphone 6 within a week. They got worst in the next few weeks. After speaking with the online rep, decided to take it to the store in Reston, VA. At first they wouldn't listen, but after speaking with the supervisor they agreed to replace my screen. They found additional scratches under the screen that weren't visible. I suggest taking it to the store if the online rep won't replace it right away. Also, don't take no from the first "genius" 🙂

I have iPhone 6 Space Gray 64Gb and after three weeks of use I have lots of hair scratches on the screen! I take care of my phone extremely well! My old iPhone 5 which I used for almost two years has no scratches at all on the screen! What is going on?

The more I read these posts, the more I wonder "why does NO ONE use screen protectors??" Maybe I'm over-cautious or something but the fact that nobody is using screen protectors is boggling my mind. I have owned many smartphones (not just Apple) over the years and every single one of them has had a screen protector on it for the entirety of the time I have owned them. How many of them had scratches on the screen when I sold them/traded them in? ZERO! Put a case on the phone and use a screen protector. It's just common sense, right?

The screen isn't plastic, and it actually is tough to scratch (or at least should be assuming the screen assembly is up to proper spec/standards). Lots of people don't like screen protectors, they don't cover the entire screen (especially knowing that it's curved) and aren't compatible with all cases... My iPhone 5s, iPod Touch 1G, 2G, 4G, and 5G have yet to get any scratches on them despite not having a screen protector (I still have that 1G touch BTW 😝). Additionally, the screen protector does remove the oleophobic coating with applications (if you ever decide to take it off).

Then also comes the quote that Steve Jobs told the iPhone engineers to make the phone's screen stronger when he got it scratched due to normal use and keeping it in his pocket. The phone shouldn't need a screen protector.

Exactly! As I said earlier, my two year old iPhone 5 has zero scratches and now three weeks old iPhone 6 has sooooo many!